It has been known for some time to provide liners for bathtubs. Generally, such liners are for the purpose of increasing the comfort of the bather as well as serving to prevent slipping and similar accidents in the bathtub.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,264,672 and 2,495,602 both disclose cushion-type linings for bathtubs.
U.S. Pat. No. 579,532 in turn illustrates a bathtub mat, the mat also including side portions for providing a cushioning effect.
None of the liners in the above patents nor in any other prior art of which I am aware serves to increase the effective depth of the bathtub and at the same time provide the various advantages of a liner. More particularly, with liners as presently known, the top edges of the bathtub remain the same height so that problems of children splashing water onto the bathroom floor still exist. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,069,523 there is disclosed a bathtub provided with a cushioned liner. In the disclosure of this patent there are referenced splash panels which cover three sides of the bathtub to protect the adjacent three dimensional wall areas from water. However, the fourth long side of the tub open to the bathroom floor is not affected by such panels and thus the disadvantage of splashing water is still present.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,254 shows a liner for a bathtub which is more or less a permanent fixture in the bathtub in that the upper edge of the liner is held in place by the bathtub wall tiles. Again, while the "liner" does extend slightly above the top edge of the bathtub, such occurs only at the portions of the bathtub edge adjacent wall surfaces and not along the long side of the bathtub to which access is attained and which side is the important one to inhibit splashing.